2007 Nissan Altima

The difference between this new 2007 Altima and its 2001-2006 forebear is subtle, a mild injection of aggression into an already attractive car. Major change in the Altima wasn't necessary, as the previous-generation Altima was Nissan's best-selling car, named North American Car of the Year in 2002, and it rose to fourth best-selling car in the United States.

Dimensionally, the car is only minutely changed, shrinking in length and wheelbase by 2.5 and 0.9 inches respectively. Width grows by 0.3 inch and height remains unchanged. The new Altima only outweighs the previous generation by about 100 pounds.

One of the most obvious visual cues that this is not the previous generation car is Nissan's new family identifier "T-grille," which cuts a small section out of the top of the bumper and drops the center of the grille a few inches in the middle. New Buck Rogers-style taillights, a sharper body-side crease, and more aggressive fender flares finish the tweaks to the old look.

Behind the Wheel

In any trim level, the Altima is a pleasure to drive. The ride is sporty-firm without being too harsh or uncomfortable for long drives, and there is ample room inside for drivers of all sizes, XXLT included. The speed-sensitive power steering is never too light—as such systems often are—and offers road-feel on par with the best in the class, namely, the Honda Accord. The interior almost looks cheap, but details such as the contours in the dash mat above the three central air vents are just enough to save it. Instead of cheap, it comes across as spartan. The base inline four-cylinder has enough grunt to propel the car respectably, and a V-6 Altima is virtually guaranteed to cause fun.

Both engines ride 30mm lower than they did in the outgoing model, which makes possible equal-angle half-shafts to virtually eliminate torque steer. While a lack of torque also contributes to the absence of torque steer with the four-cylinder, we were pleasantly surprised by the straight-and-narrow nature of the V-6 car as well.

Our biggest complaint about the Altima driving experience is that the pedals are a little too touchy. Dive and squat are not problems with a flaccid suspension, rather, they are due to overly-emotional brake and gas pedals. The slightest poke at either will get passengers' heads bobbing and the car rocking as though everyone is enjoying the herky-jerk ride, right up until somebody loses their lunch into a map pocket. Combined with a lack of ABS, the grabby brakes can make driving on wet roads pretty dicey. The clutch, too, seems ill-adjusted for all but the daintiest feet, a common Nissan problem. Takeup is awfully abrupt and, combined with the jumpy brakes, makes heel-and-toeing smoothly a practiced effort.

The Lineup

The 2007 Altima will come in six trim levels: 2.5, 2.5S, 2.5S with the SL package, 3.5SE, 3.5SL, and hybrid. The first five go on sale in November of this year, with the hybrid to follow shortly in 2007. Pricing has yet to be announced, but expect a low-20s starting price for the 2.5, with the hybrid checking in around $26,000.

Would you like a CVT with that?

The new car is powered by updated versions of the previous car's motors. The base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 175 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque, while the optional 3.5-liter V-6 spoils drivers with 270 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. Both engines boast continuously variable valve timing and electronic throttles.

Both are available coupled to either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. A traditional automatic transmission is no longer available. Nissan claims the manual has been improved from the past generation, but we found it still a clunky and largely joyless unit, albeit a joyless unit now with shorter throws.

The wholesale move away from the automatic may seem drastic, but Nissan considers itself an industry leader in CVTs, with three in production, and an expectation to sell more than one million CVT-equipped vehicles annually by 2008. The Altima's CVT is programmed to adapt to three driving styles—economy, normal, and sport—and features over 700 algorithms to determine the best shift pattern based on road conditions and perceived driver intent. At least two of those algorithms work; the CVT holds onto higher revs longer when you've been deep in the accelerator or snaking your way around and over curves and hills, and keeps the revs down when puttering along with traffic.

Never big fans of CVTs in general, we preferred to use the manumatic function for peppier driving. It's a pretty loose manumatic that down- and upshifts when it wants to, but neither of those is necessarily a bad thing. If you pull out to pass and forget to downshift, the CVT is ready to cross your t's and make sure you complete the pass without tarnishing the chrome bumpers on any oncoming gravel trains. In V-6 models, the CVT includes a Sport mode for better responses as either an automatic or manumatic.

New independent suspension at all four corners makes extensive use of aluminum, with struts up front, a multilink setup in the rear, and stabilizer bars standard at both ends. The 3.5 SE gets a sportier suspension, including unique struts and springs and meatier stabilizer bars. Altimas come with a choice of 16- or 17-inch wheels, with base 2.5-liter models coming standard with 16-inch steelies and wheel covers. ABS is standard on V-6 models, and optional on four-cylinder cars. Owners who opt to save a few nickels and don't order ABS can rest assured that the Altima comes standard with six airbags.